Beyond The Horizon
by delusional-pumpkin
Summary: REPOST! In the year 2001, Hermione Granger looks back in time to Bill and Fleur's wedding, the day before Harry left her and Ron behind. Hermione recounts the occurrences of that day and the one after. She comes to find that in spite of Harry's promise,


**Summary:** In the year 2001, Hermione Joy Granger looks back in time to Bill and Fleur's wedding, the day before Harry mysteriously left. Hermione recounts the occurrences of that day and the one after. She comes to find that in spite of Harry's promise, a "Horizon Paradise" is not real, it is just a state of mind…but it is a state of mind that she cannot reach without him.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

**WARNING:** Book Six Spoilers!

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**Chapter 1**

June 17, 2001

Day of Peace (UK)

It was exactly four years ago today that the powerful, "immortal" Dark Lord Voldemort met his downfall due to Harry Potter's courageous actions. Today is also the four year and ten month anniversary of the day the very same Harry Potter left my life abruptly. It may be odd, keeping track, but it was so memorable--like it was only yesterday.

I suppose I should have known, should have realized that he was leaving. The day before he left, the day of Bill and Fleur's wedding, he opened up like he never had before. In our school days, he was always a closed book, more so when we got older. After the deaths of Sirius and Dumbledore, he was all business. It was "defeat Voldemort or die trying." He was particularly cold at his last visit to the Weasley's…up to that day, that is.

At that moment, while we were on the dance floor, everything seemed right with the world. Everything seemed perfect. I suppose you have to witness that day to truly understand how I felt. The best place to start would be the morning of the wedding--August 16, 1997…

--(out of Hermione's POV)--

It was a beautiful summer morning. The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. Birds chirped in the trees. The smell of eggs, bacon, and maple syrup filled the comfortable and welcoming Weasley home. It was a perfect day for a wedding…

Mrs. Weasley could be heard thumping up the steps, trying to arouse the sleeping household as she delivered breakfast to her soon-to-be daughter-in-law. Hermione's eyes popped open but quickly closed again due to the bright sun that was shinning into the window. She was, once again, sharing a room with Ginny, the youngest and only girl of the huge Weasley family. The young woman of sixteen was already bustling about the room, trying to get ready without waking her friend. She was a wreck in Hermione's brutally honest opinion. She had been ever since Harry arrived at the Weasley's home just two and a half weeks ago.

Ginny tried not to show it, but she still hurt. Harry was the first man ever truly loved and he broke her heart. She amazingly was able to keep her composure in his presence but the second he left the room, she lost it. She was not wishing she had him back, but it was still difficult. She told Hermione she wanted to get over him, that she understood his reasoning for leaving her, and that there was a new man she had set her eyes on. Hermione knew better though. Heartache was a hard battle to overcome.

Hermione herself had suffered from it recently. Her and Ron, who had become a couple at the end of their sixth year, had just broken up. It was mutual, realizing that there was nothing there but the initial attraction. They had mistaken their fighting for love pangs and jealousy. But that did not mean it hurt any less. She had actually had to come to grips with it when Ron stated that Lavender would be coming to the wedding at breakfast two mornings prior. She would, once again, have to endure the annoying calls for the beloved "Won Won!" Pathetic!

By now, Ginny had noticed that Hermione was up and came to sit at the edge of her bed. Her features were distraught and her head hung low.

"I know that you have to get ready for the wedding…" Ginny started, but Hermione cut her off.

"Of course I'll help," Hermione replied, sitting up. "Besides, I've Come of Age and all I have to do is a simple little spell!" She laughed, getting out of bed and pulling a light robe around her.

Ginny smiled, thanked Hermione, and sat down in front of her vanity. "I was thinking about an up-do with curls framing my face," said Ginny, looking herself over in the mirror. "I want to look extra special today…" She drifted off; a dazed look and warm smile spreading gracefully across her face.

Hermione laughed gently at her friend. "Oh, really?" She picked up her wand and dried Ginny's hair with a touch of her wand. "Any particular reason? This boy you've been talking about is perhaps…oh, I dunno…coming?"

Ginny giggled like a little girl of ten and blushed crimson, causing her many freckles to stand out even more than they did on her normally creamy, pale face. "Maybe. Yes!" She sighed, turning to look at Hermione. "I mean, I want to be sure. I might just be in…denial about the whole Harry issue. I might just be trying to replace him. But…I think this thing with this other guy…I think it's been there for a while…I just didn't realize it. We've been talking a lot lately…via owl post. Maybe it's just his romantic, heartfelt letters…but I think this is the real thing! And what a better day to find out…a wedding!"

Hermione smiled. "Are you going to tell me who this charmer is or am I going to have to wait?"

Ginny giggled again. "You'll find out soon enough!"

----

Hermione stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her small figure. She walked over to the mirror and wiped the condensation away so she could look at her reflection. She frowned; her wet hair was already beginning to return to its untamed, out-of-control style. Even though she could use magic now, she was going to have a lot of work to do.

She opened up the door, surprised to find Harry standing outside. His face was a downcast as usual and his eyes dull. He just stared at her, unblinkingly.

Hermione smiled at him. "Hey there! I haven't talked to you in a while…you barely came out of Ron's room yesterday!" She sighed, stepping out of the bathroom. "I wish you would have knocked to let me know you were waiting…I wouldn't have taken so long…" She came to a stop. Harry was just staring at her. "Is something wrong, Harry?"

He let out the first grin she had seen in two and a half weeks. His brilliant green eyes, however, remain dull. Not as much as before, but dull none the less. "No, nothing. I'm fine. But you," he pausing, looking like he was trying not to laugh, "you must be cold…standing there in nothing but a towel."

Hermione's eyes widened and looked down. She blushed crimson and gripped the towel tighter around her. She pushed passed him and quickly made her way to her room. She closed the door behind her, leaned against it, and closed her eyes.

She had never been so flustered before. Why was she so flustered? Harry had seen her like that before. What with only having one shower in the whole Weasley home, it was often that one ran into another while exiting and entering the bathroom. Ron had even seen her in nothing but a towel before…even while they were going out. Ron blushed a bit, but Ron blushed at a lot of things. Hermione, however, could never remember having feeling like a mob of angry butterflies were about to burst out of her stomach at any moment.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" A voice came from the corner of the room.

Hermione opened her eyes and caught sight of Ginny. She looked beautiful. She was wearing a strapless, gold gown that puffed out at the bottom and trailed behind her. Sparkles lined the top of the dress and continued down the back. Her stunning, fiery red hair was lying on top of her head in long spiral curls. Smaller curls framed her face, accenting her enchanting honey brown eyes. She smiled gracefully, showing off perfectly white teeth. Chandelier-like earrings of gold and diamonds hung from her ears and ended about two inches from her tanned shoulders. Around her neck was beautiful gold chain that held a single diamond, a gift from Fleur.

"N-n-nothing," Hermione stammered, not sure why she felt the need to lie to Ginny about Harry seeing her in nothing but a towel. A very small towel. A very, very small towel that hit mid-thigh. She could feel the blush starting to creep evilly across her face.

"Okay…" Ginny said, while she checked herself in the mirror. She then walked in front of Hermione and twirled around. "How do I look?"

Hermione smiled. "Beautiful, Ginny. This mystery guy of yours…he's going to drop down dead!"

Ginny giggled again. "Oh, I hope not!" She looked herself over in the mirror once more. "Anyway, you'll know who he is right away. I told him he could sit with you and Harry during the ceremony. You don't mind do you?"

Hermione shook her head. "Of course not! I can't wait!"

Ginny laughed. "Well, I better get going. I should have been in Fleur's room ten minutes ago! Bye!" She then left the room, closing the door behind her.

Hermione staggered over to the vanity and collapsed into chair. She shook her head, looking at her reflection once again. "Why did I lie? All it was Harry seeing me in a towel. No big deal." But it was a big deal. She did not know why, but she could tell it was.

Hermione preformed the Drying Charm for the second time that day, only on her hair this time. She sat there for a few minutes, thinking about what to do with the bundle of twigs that was her hair. She then tapped her hair twice and it was suddenly transformed. It was sleek and shiny. It fell down her back in gentle spiral curls. She smiled, satisfied that the charm worked. Then she took to working on her make-up. She applied her foundation and cover up, giving her skin a little bit of color and a flawless look. She added a little bit of blush to her cheeks. After taking Ginny's advice from last summer, she lined her eyes in amethyst purple eyeliner with lavender, brown, and light tan eye shadow. Her eyes were suddenly aglow, looking brighter and more intensifying that they ever had.

She walked over to Ginny's closet and pulled out her dress. It was a pink dress with spaghetti straps. The material in the front gathered up and hung low. It clung to her hourglass form before dropping below her waist. The front of the dress ended a few inches from her feet and trailed down to the floor in the back. She wore gold high-heeled shoes, making her quite a few inches taller. She looked at herself in the vanity mirror, feeling that something was missing. She decided that she needed a necklace and started sifting through Ginny's jewelry box. She sighed, frowning, picking up a plain, gold chain. She put in on in looked in the mirror. She needed a second opinion…

----

Hermione walked up the many flights of stairs to Ron's room slowly. She was not sure why but she was nervous about talking to Harry. They had not talked, truly talked, in ages. Last year had been an absolute mess…it was not even worth mentioning. They had grown apart, which, unfortunately, sometimes comes with growing up. However, she insisted that she would stand beside him in the end. That was who she was...Harry Potter's best friend--the little, bossy girl from their first year. Eternally, she was locked in that time.

She sighed, gently knocking on the door. She ran her hands uncertainly over her dress, soothing invisible creases.

"Come in," a voice mumbled from inside. Obviously it was Harry's. She knew Harry like the back of her hand…or at least she used to.

She slowly opened the door and looked inside. There he was, standing in front of a floor length mirror, fiddling with his tie. Hermione could not help but smile. He was still that little, somewhat timid boy who was still getting used to magic. She closed the door behind her and slowly walked over to him, her heels echoing the silence of the room.

"Harry?" She asked softly, not wanting to aggravate him.

"Yes?" He asked in a defeated tone, throwing the tie onto his cot. She could have sworn he even muttered something about a 'stupid tie'.

"I need an opinion…." She drifted off, still gazing at his back.

"Well, okay, but I _am_ biased…"

He turned around and his eyes widened at her. She stared back, never having seen Harry look at her quite like her had before. True, he had a certain way he looked at her, probably like one would look at a best friend, but she was not entirely sure. But now, something was different. Something must be wrong.

Suddenly, he began to cough and sputter, his face red. Hermione stepped forward but he held up his hand and shook his head. "I'm fine…It's just…"

Hermione cut him off, frowning. "That bad?" She looked down at her dress, looking utterly depressed.

"No!" Harry yelled quickly. Hermione looked up startled. "No, no! You look…magical, Hermione. Mesmerizing. Breathtaking. Heavenly."

Hermione laughed brightly, her curls bouncing up and down. "You flatter me, Harry. But," she walked over the mirror Harry had been standing in just a few seconds ago. "I think I'm missing something. Does this necklace work?" She turned and looked at him questioningly.

Harry looked her up and down, his gaze causing Hermione to heat up, her cheeks ablaze. She watched him with wide eyes, nervous about what was taking him so long to answer. When his eyes finally reached her neck, he shook his head, causing Hermione to frown. "No, but I think I might have something that does."

As Harry walked over to his trunk, Hermione looked at him quizzically. "Have you been holding out on me, Potter? Stalking up on woman's jewelry and other accessories?" She laughed as he reappeared from his trunk, holding a small wooden box.

"Not quite, 'Mione dear," Harry said and smiled as she laughed at the nickname. He walked over to his bed and sat down, resting the box on his lap. He patted the part of the bed next to him, gesturing for Hermione to sit down. She obligated, looking down at the box with curiosity. "This stuff is my mother's and father's. Small little tokens that Dumbledore retrieved for me…" he broke off, signaling that his death was still a sore subject. But, then again, it will be. Harry had to watch in torment as the old Professor pleaded for his life and was murdered at the wand of Severus Snape, the Death Eater whom he so foolishly trusted. "Anyway," he began again, opening the box, "some of my mother's jewelry was recovered…"

Hermione watched carefully as Harry pulled out a small, black velvet box. He closed the wooden one and set it aside before turning to Hermione. He carefully opened the small box to her, revealing the most stunning necklace and earrings she had ever seen.

"My father gave them to her on their first year anniversary." Harry smiled, looking down at the set. On a delicate golden chain hung a small pink sapphire in the shape of a heart. The earrings matched, though they were a little smaller than the necklace.

Hermione shook her head at Harry, still looking at the set. "I couldn't. I'd be afraid of losing them…being your mother's and all…" she looked up at Harry, wide-eyed.

Harry shook his head back at her, standing up. "No, you are wearing it whether you want to or not. It will look perfect. So stand up," he held out a hand for her, which she graciously took, and pulled her in front of the mirror. "My mother would want you to wear them."

Hermione grinned at her reflection as Harry fastened the necklace around her small neck, his fingers lingering for but a moment on her bare flesh. His gentle touch sent goose bumps up and down her skin. Her eyes closed involuntarily for a moment before fluttering back open.

"Beautiful," Harry whispered in her ear, his chin resting on her shoulder. He brought the box around in front of her where the earrings still rested. "Go on. Put them in," he said as he stepped back, picking up his tie, ready for battle number two.

Hermione could not stop smiling as she putting the earrings in and stared at her reflection. "Thank you so much, Harry. I really appreciate this."

Harry shrugged, struggling with his tie again. "No problem…but do you think you could help me out here?" He asked, his strong arms dropping down at his sides.

Hermione giggled, picking up Harry's wand, which was lying, forgotten, on the windowsill by the tank that held a rather large, gross-looking frog. She tapped the tie twice before setting the wand back on the windowsill.

Harry frowned, looking at the perfect tie in the mirror. "Sometimes I just want to forget…" He trailed off, walking over to the window.

Hermione sighed, watching him stand there. The sunlight danced around his figure, making him look like an angel. Hermione found herself thinking that he must be. Who else could deal with everything he had been put through? It just was not fair. Why did he, of all people, have to hold the weight of the world, the two worlds to which he was so conveniently linked to?

Nothing seemed quite fair anymore. He knew. She knew. They all knew, knew that they would soon be leaving on a journey that could potentially kill them, or just destroy them. The search for the pieces of Lord Voldemort's soul was not going to be an easy one. She knew, as well as Harry, that their unbreakable friendship was going to be put to the test, as well as their minds. They were only teenagers. But, looking at the pair of them right now, you could tell that that was not so. They were matured beyond their years. They alone have had to face so many terrors, obstacles, and challenges that it could not just be for nothing. Everything they had been through so far was just a test, a preparation for what lay in front of them. They were ready, well, as ready they would ever be. This challenge was something that you could not completely prepare for. This was the challenge where they faced ultimate death. Hermione knew. Harry knew. Ron knew. The whole magical world knew. They were going to have to cheat both death and Voldemort. Whether they could overcome would be up to the fates…which they desperately hoped were on their side.

"Harry?" Hermione called out into the silence.

"Have you ever wanted to leave? Run away?" Harry did not look at her but seemed to be concentrating on something out the window in the distance.

Hermione stared at his back, wondering what he meant. It always scared her when he talked like this. She feared that he was going to leave forever…without her.

"I dunno…I guess. Everyone wants a break at some point."

Harry nodded, still focusing out the window. "I want to run. To just run and not look back. Forget ever single responsibly I have."

Hermione walked closer to him, the click of her heels echoing in the silence. "Run for what?" She was confused and she desperately wanted to understand.

"I'll run for the horizon, Mia (Mya). It's a dream, I suppose…to leave," Harry hung his head, sighing loudly.

"I understand, Harry. But," she thought about what he said for a moment, "isn't running for a horizon running for nothing?"

Harry turned to look her, looking perplexed. "How so?"

"Well," Hermione replied, walking up to the window and standing next to Harry. "the horizon for us are those mountain tops in the distance. You could run to them and stand on the summit but the horizon wouldn't be there. It would be still be in front of you, this time maybe as a field. And again, you could run to that exact point on the field and the horizon would be in front of you yet again. You can never reach it, no matter how hard or determined you are. It's never ending."

Harry shook his head, looking at the horizon also. "But somehow I think it is ending. A horizon is like…a sought-out Paradise. Something that does take time to reach, but it's still reachable."

Hermione bit her lip, thinking about Harry's reasoning. "But isn't 'Paradise' a state of mind? A feeling within yourself?"

Harry nodded, a smile sweeping over his face. "Exactly."

"Okay…" Hermione said, a light laugh present in her voice. "Then…how do you reach this 'Paradise', this horizon of yours?"

Harry sighed, closing his eyes. The smile vanished and he suddenly looked determined, as if he just reached a conclusion. " You conquer everything that stands in your way. You destroy it before it destroys you."

Hermione nodded, growing silent. Now she understood. He was talking about life after Voldemort. He was searching within himself for the power to rid the world of evil and should he survive, what would he have left? "But that's your horizon. That's how _you_ get there."

Harry nodded, looking at her with intense eyes. "Yeah…that's how I get there."

They stood there, looking at each other for ages. They do not know how long. But suddenly, there was an understanding beyond any other between the two of them. They fully understood that this was their fight to fight and no one else was going to do it for them. It was up to them and Ron.

"Everything…life as we know it…it's all about to change forever," Harry said, turning back to the window and looking down at the crowd gathering below. "But today…we don't have to worry. Today is a day of forgetting for us! We are going to enjoy this…this Golden day! A Golden day with friends and family." He grinned, holding his arm out for Hermione. "This way, Mademoiselle, to a land of enchantment…where evil cannot reign and friendship and love prevail!"

Hermione laughed, taking his arm once more. He was right. They were going to enjoy this! It may as well be their last fun day together. But, no, she was not going to think about it. When that day came and it all ended, she would be left with these memories and she did not want them to be filled with 'what ifs'…

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Well, there you go! Thank you for reading the first chapter. I'm not exactly sure how long this story is going to be. At first, I was planning on having it be only 3-4 chapter but things might change. Anyway, leave a review! Go on!

P.S. I got the whole "golden day" thing from the sixth book! Not really mine! Don't sue for that either!

P.S.S. This is the repost of the first chapter I had up a while ago. I've left this story go for a while but I'm coming back to it now that my thoughts for it are in order. Please review. The next chapter should be up before the weekend.


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